It is well known in the art to provide vehicle components that are lighted in some manner, both exterior and interior. For example, it has been shown in the prior art that certain interior components can be lighted as part of the interior lighting with lighted components in the instrument panel or instrument panel cluster, armrest, headliner, shift handle, door handles, grab handles, and other portions of the doors. It is also known in the prior art to provide back-lighted components such as by providing a translucent or at least partially non-opaque surface such as in any of the aforementioned interior components as well as control switches, a steering wheel or an air bag cover backlit with an LED. Other lighting techniques known in the prior art include the provision of opaque interior components that may be made of a phosphorescent material selectively illuminated by black light. In addition, many interior components may be lit by using light pipes, bulbs, fiber optics, electroluminescent film, and any other sort of traditional lighting methods.
Typically, the lighting of these interior vehicle components is controlled either by entering or exiting the vehicle, for example, opening the door or utilizing a key fob or manual switch.